Fearless Friday, Tomatoes & Chicken Pesto Mac & Cheese
I know we are all shedding a tear as the end of summer tomatoes looms on the horizon 😢
But!
Here are some ways to enjoy summer tomatoes all year-
You can paint Tomatoes easily with the Waterlogue App
Pastel pencil on paper
Watercolor tomatoes
A Farmer’s Market Seasonal Chart with colored pencil can help you keep track of peak tomato season
Acrylic on canvas
On glass
Painting tomatoes is easy,
Just a few simple strokes with a brush
The secret is to these quick acrylic tomatoes is to use several tones of red, orange or yellow on a fat round brush, and let the colors mix as you apply them
Once dry, go back and add quick strokes for the tops, using a smaller pointed brush loaded with yellow and dark green
Now that we’ve painted tomatoes, let’s celebrate with this tomato topped mac & cheese with chicken and basil!
A one dish meal to satisfy all kinds of cravings 😋
I adapted this recipe from Caprese Mac & Cheese from Half Baked Harvest
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to make Chicken Cordon Bleu Mac & Cheese, {Cordon Bleu basically means chicken with ham and a cheese sauce}
or a Pesto Mac & Cheese, {adding basil pesto to creamy pasta}
but I knew I wanted to put pretty heirloom tomatoes on top, so I just combined everything into one big tasty dish
You can adopt this recipe in numerous ways,
substitute bacon or sausage for ham,
skip the meat altogether,
use whatever pasta you like,
eliminate the pesto or tomatoes…
It’s basically just mac & cheese…
All dressed up! 👠
Chicken Pesto Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 oz. spiral pasta
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
- 4 medium thick slices deli ham
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 2 T butter
- 2 T flour
- 4 oz vermont white cheddar cheese grated
- 2-4 T pesto
- salt & pepper
- 2 oz grated or shaved Parmesan
- 1-2 yellow red or heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a sauce pan filled about 1/2 way with water to a boil. Season water well with salt and pepper. Add chicken, cover and turn burner off, but leave pan on burner. Let sit 30 minutes
- Remove chicken from pot to safe cutting board. Bring water back to boil, adding more salt. Add pasta, stir, cover. Turn burner off and let pasta sit on burner for 10 minutes or until you’re ready for it.
- Cook ham slices in hot skillet for 1-2 minutes to render any fat and to get a little char on them. Remove to cutting board. Cut ham and chicken into bite size pieces.
- Drain pasta, return to sauce pan and toss with pesto. Add chicken and ham pieces to pasta and stir
- Melt butter in skillet that ham was cooked in, stirring to incorporate any leftover browned bits from ham. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add flour and stir, forming a thick white roux. Pour in 1 cup milk. Cook and stir until milk is thickened then add remaining cup of milk. Cook and stir until thickened. Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
- Add sauce to pasta pot and stir well. Turn mixture out into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Can be covered and refrigerated at this point. Just before baking slice tomatoes and drain on paper towels. Arrange tomatoes on top of casserole and season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with more Parmesan. Bake pasta at 350 for 30-45 minutes until hot and bubbly. Garnish with lots of fresh basil. Serves 4-6
Remember, they’re your creations, Be Fearless!
🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅
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Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, Cooking and Crafting with J&J, The Scoop, A Stroll Thru Life Inspire Me Monday
Tickle My Tastebuds, Wow Us Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday, Work it Wednesday
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Everyone knows I love tomatoes. My daddy always had a tomato garden and I loved them as a child. What a wonderful way to enjoy tomatoes fresh with a favorite side. Great recipe Jenna. Yes, you will enjoy them all year with your painting, the glasses are so pretty. Great idea to photograph and paint with the Waterlogue App. Now I will have to be an early bird at the farmer’s market for tomatoes! Thanks for the inspiration…….
You are so welcome Emily, I think I love tomatoes because they are so pretty, I always want to paint them 🙂 >
Jenna, beautiful art and food, is there a better combination! Tomatoes are such a summer pleasure…and who wouldn’t love this dish (love pesto)!!! Happy weekend, Pam @ Everyday Living
Your Chicken Pesto Mac & Cheese sounds so good Jenna! It’s the perfect recipe to transition from summer into fall. Love your painted tomato harvest too 🙂
Just picked my garden’s first heirloom tomatoe this morning and your mac’n cheese is making me drool. Love Half Baked Harvest blog too. Always enjoy your how to paint tutorials! Happy tomatoe eating and painting Jenna!
I have to try this Mac’ n Cheese! Looks and sounds just scrumptious.
I always love seeing your artwork and, you know, your Waterlogue pictures even look better than mine! You need say no more, you had me with “pesto” and “mac and cheese.” This looks amazing. Trying it soon!
Oh my goodness, that stacked tomato salad reminds me of a salad at Camellia’s here in Fairhope! If I can’t have yours, theirs is the next best thing. Making a reservation now!!!
My tomato plants were loaded with little yellow blossoms . . . but something went dreadfully wrong and I didn’t have one single tomato!!!!! What a rotten trick!
You’ll be happy (or die laughing) to know I’ve pulled out my paints and am painting up a storm! So, a happy weekend of painting to you!
Yay!! I would love to see! >
The tomato mac and cheese sounds good Jenna! My coworker was kind enough to bring me a few beauties today:@)
Oh Jenna! I am swooning all of this tomato art and love…… you are such an amazing creative wonder in so many ways. and oh that recipe! O M G ! YUM!!
Lovely painting and photos! I am in the mood to eat some tomatoes now ♥
summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com
This looks amazing and I love the gorgeous painting. Thank you for sharing at Dishing it and Digging it link party. We love having you.
This looks amazing, Jenna! Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? 🙂
The tomatoes look amazing! And that dish…YUM!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thank you Jess! >
I rarely bother with store bought tomatoes but love home grown. I’m hoping to get a garden fence up this fall so that I can grow my own next year. This recipe sounds delicious and you make the painting look so easy.
I usually don’t bother with store bought tomatoes but I love home grown. I’m hoping to get a garden fence in this fall so I can grow my own next year. This dish looks delicious and you make the painting look so easy!
Thanks Ava, I can only grow cherry tomatoes with any success, but we have a local market that sells beautiful heirlooms, good luck with your garden!